


In Vino Veritas

by Lokisgame



Series: Waiting On A Friend [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Book Spoilers, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Movie: Fight The Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 14:23:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10439613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: Apart from stories of his cold parents and missing sister, he never talked about his life before Oxford, and even those informations were scarce. She realized that Fox Mulder was a bit of an X-File himself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> No copyright infringement intended

_I've been holding out so long_  
_I've been sleeping all alone_  
_Lord I miss you_  
_I've been hanging on the phone_  
_I've been sleeping all alone_

"Mulder, when did you move to DC?"  
The sun went down, but the city around them hasn't lost it's charm. Under the twinkle lights everything looked better, their warm glow softened all the lines and that's what he wanted, for them to be more open.  
"High school, senior year, why?" She looked down at her half empty, second glass of wine.  
"No reason, I just never asked" She sat next to him, wrapped in her soft cardigan, watching him with sweet, unguarded eyes. She was honestly curious about it, it was worth a try.  
"I moved here to live with my father, he wanted me to go to Georgetown, but I preferred Oxford." He smiled at the memory "The farther away from him the better."  
"What was Oxford like?" She wanted to know more, was it the wine? 

Scully usually kept her interest in people to minimum, she never liked to pry. Yet tonight, as she looked at Mulder, and the way he leaned in with his arm over the back of the couch, his whole body angled toward her, pulling her into his space, made her think of a night, nights - plural, and confessions wasted on strangers. Nights she wanted to share with him, but never seemed to find the right moment. Somehow they both realized, their time was now.  
"It was certainly a change from what I was used to. Bit of a shock at first, the freedom" his look became distant but not as sad as she expected "Once I moved to England, old Bill stoped calling, mom called sporadically, so it was basically me, finally free. Not that they cared much when I lived with them, but still, the knowledge that I was accountable to no one but myself, it was liberating."  
"You didn't miss home at all?"  
"I missed my friends" she raised her eyebrows "What, don't look at me like that, I had friends in high school. I almost had a girlfriend!"  
"No!" That was news to her, one she never heard before, apart from stories of his cold parents and missing sister, he never talked about his life before Oxford, and even those informations were scarce. She realized that Fox Mulder was a bit of an X-File himself.  
"Yes! I wasn't a complete loser all my life Scully." She laughed, he seemed amused as well, but his choice of words made her realize that the words of Eddie Van Blundht must have cut him deeper than she thought.  
"You're not a loser!" He probably thought that it took one to know one. She pushed him forward "What was she like?"  
"Brilliant, bold, took shit from no one" his chuckle was full of fond memories "especially from me! Reminds you of someone?"  
All she could do was smile "Sounds like a great girl"  
"Yeah, she was." He looked down at the almost empty glass in his hand, and she watched his smile turn from amused to wistful to sad. Once awakened, her curiosity could not be easily silenced.  
"What happened?"  
"The usual, we grew up and apart, nothing dramatic" he replied with a slight shrug "she met someone else, I met someone, the letters became few and far between. Life happened. Now when I think about it, she was the only good and honest person, who cared about me, at the time."  
"Have you seen her, since then?"  
"No, I haven't heard from her in years." He downed the rest of his drink and smiled at her with unguarded eyes "She's probably a dean at MIT right now or something like that"  
"We could find out"

"Agent Scully, are you suggesting we use our position to gather information for personal reasons?" He laughed at her arched eyebrow "I'm a bad influence. Besides it would feel weird."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right" she backed down smiling over the last of her wine.  
"You're agreeing with me? Just like that?" He couldn't believe his luck.  
"Enjoy it, while it lasts"  
"I am, immensely, and you know what, I'm hungry. You're hungry? Come on, have dinner with me Scully."  
"What? Right now?" His offer seemed to take her by surprise.  
"YEAH, why not?"  
"We... it's Saturday night, and we don't have a reservation." Two glasses of wine weren't enough to kill her rational mind.  
"That's it? Come on, I know a place." He signaled the waiter and paid for their drinks.  
"This seems to be a theme for this evening." She shook her head setting her win glass aside.  
"You liked what we had last week when I dropped by?" He got up and reached out his hand to her in invitation.  
"Yeah"  
"Okay, let's go there" Since she didn't move he leaned over and simply took her hand in his, pulling her up. If she waited for a comment about her small feet, it never came, he was serious about this.  
"Alright, but only if I can go dressed like this."  
"You look perfect, come on, I'm starving." His smile could power the city for a week.

 _Sometimes I say_  
_I won't miss you child_  
_I guess I'm lying to myself_  
_It's just you and no one else_

"Have you sold the property yet?"  
They ended up in a small Italian restaurant, the food was simple but tasted great. The wine flowed, loosening tongues and greasing the conversation.  
"The house on Vineyard? I'm keeping it." She paused with a forkful of salad halfway to her mouth.  
"You said you hated it, too many bad memories. What changed your mind?"  
"I hate the house, not the place. I'm renting it for now, but one day I will move there."  
"I don't understand." He smiled at her, leaning over the table, as if he was about to share a secret with her.  
"I'll tear the old one down and build a new house in its place."  
"You want to build a house?" Her eyes went wide and he had to laugh.  
"Sure I do! I have this idea in mind, how it should look like."  
"Like what?" There was that curiosity again, was it the wine? She'll probably think he means it metaphorically, but he doesn't. He means every word, literally.  
"I want a bedroom with huge windows facing the ocean. Upstairs master bedroom. Just think about it." He looked up and her eyes drew him in, the vision took shape in his mind "You wake up, sun is rising over the horizon. Every year, for three days at the beginning of May, the sun rises in this one spot, where it's perfectly framed by the trees outside your window. The cloudless sky changes colors from purple to blue, the sun's reflecting of the water. The morning is a bit chilly, but the sheets are warm, and it's Saturday morning, with no places to go, no people to see. You have coffee in bed, read the newspaper listening to seagulls and distant crash of the waves. Doesn't it sound perfect?"  
"Sounds very peaceful." Somehow his story has put roots in her heart, she could almost feel the warmth, it must have been the wine, it couldn't be his eyes.  
"How about you?" He brought the glass again to his lips, the liquid courage was the theme of the night "You have a dream home Scully?"  
"I always thought about it in terms of people, rather than places. With the right people, paradise could be anywhere." She glanced down, avoiding his eyes, there was something in them she wasn't ready to confront.  
"And what people would that be?" He no longer felt like he was pushing, more like he was drawing her in by opening himself to her.  
"It's pretty simple Mulder" her cheeks flushed slightly, _the wine_ , he repeated to himself, _it's the wine, it's not you, it can't be you she's thinking about_ "people I love and people who love me."  
"I think you've earned all the love and peace in the world Scully." A shadow passed over her face and she looked up abruptly.  
"What brought this on Mulder? Is this about the X-files?"  
"Not at all" he shook his head slowly, opting for honesty "Well, maybe a bit about that too. But mostly, I've been wondering lately. What would it be like, to just let it all go. I'm starting to wonder if my heart is still in it as it used to,"  
That wasn't the answer she was expecting, not from him, "We will get the X-Files back Mulder, I still have things to do, and so do you. You can't give up."  
"I know, and I'm not" that also was true "Actually I've been looking into ways to restore the burned documents, but I still have to find a way to convince Skinner to let me do this. It will take time and money, but I'm sure we can make it."  
"Right now, there's no chance in hell he'll agree to it." He sighed, back to shop talk, how could he save this? He waited too long for a night like this.  
"Yeah. I have to tell you one thing Scully. I'm not sure how long will I take this bullshit assignment. The bullpen life is killing me!"  
"Come on, it's not that bad" She smiled sympathetically but she knew it was worse for him than it was for her.  
"It's the noise. The noise is the worst."  
"It does feel a bit crowded sometimes"  
"I feel like we're constantly under surveillance" he leaned over the table dropping his voice to a mere whisper "Like they're watching our every move and glance."  
"The Syndicate?" She was instantly worried and hid her lips behind her glass, taking a sip and looking around inconspicuously.  
"No, other agents! The gossip I heard, believe me" she almost choked on the wine laughing, and he took the glass out of her hand "Easy! Easy! You'll suffocate Scully. Breathe"  
Once she calmed down the smile was back on her face "Mulder, I never thought you'd care about office gossip."  
"They can say what they want about me, but I won't stand by idly when they talk shit about you." His eyes danced with something that was equal parts humor and complete seriousness.  
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much."  
"I know you can, but it doesn't change the fact that it pisses me off, and I want us out of there, ASAP." It was his turn to avoid her gaze.  
"Mulder"  
"I want you all to myself again." There, he said it, though he was still afraid to look up and show the true meaning of his words.  
"Is this what this evening is about?"  
"No" it was his first instinct to deny his true feelings for her, a defense mechanism, but the wine made him chance a glance at her, and see her expression turned serious, _in vino veritas_ her eyes have said "Yes... I mean, I guess. We never really talk all that much, do we."  
"No, we don't." Her voice was soft, perhaps she did want the same things he did.  
"And that's what I want to change."  
"So... let's talk about desert." He finally looked up, she saved him again apparently deciding it was enough confessions for one day, small steps.  
"What would you like?" He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, confident her smile kept his secret.  
"Chocolate cake?" She mirrored his position and her smile turned wicked.  
"Will you share?" Teasing was normal, teasing was safe.  
"Is this a date?" The question caught him off guard but instead of crushing him, it lifted him up, like an air balloon tied to his heart.  
"I don't know, is it?" Was she bluffing? The smile reached her eyes  
"You tell me." Could this be easier than he thought?  
"Would you like it to be?" She didn't let this go, got his hopes up, now he wanted answers.  
"This is starting to feel like a Monty Python sketch. Argument Clinic." He smiled at her, she was backing down, and he wasn't going to let her.  
"I've been arguing with you for over five years." _Come on Scully, don't let me down._  
"Okay, you win. I'll share the cake." Her laugh filled his heart.  
"Dear Diary, our first date."

**Author's Note:**

> This began as an entry to dialogue-only challenge, but I decided to flesh it out, because of one of the comments.  
> Part two for one of my older stories ["Waiting On A Friend"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9223691); the song - "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones
> 
> The girlfriend Mulder speaks about, is Phoebe, from Kami Garcia's "Agent Of Chaos" - give it a try, I fell in love.


End file.
